Warhammer 40,000 is a futuristic tabletop game by Games Workshop. Its setting is best described as futuristic gothic science-fantasy; the Imperium of man has teetered on the brink of destruction for ten thousand years, attacked from both within and without by witches, demons and aliens. Each player controls an army of miniatures, pitting them against those of their opponent using a mixture of tactics, strategy and luck of the dice. Show no mercy - in the grim darkness of the forty-first millenium, there is only war!

Now available is the new 5th Edition Starter Set, "Battle for Black Reach"! For just US$60.00 (plus tax...), you can be the proud owner of over 50 high-quality snap-fit* Citadel Miniatures (MSRP'ing over $300 seperately)! There's also the neccesary dice (including a scatter die), templates and measuring implements, the Black Pass scenario book for making the most of your minis, and a compact version of the main rules for when you graduate to the full game. It's a sweet deal you can't pass up!

*Are they snap-fit? Yep. Are they high-quality? YES YES OH GOD YES.

-The Setting-The Imperium of Man has grown to control much of the galaxy, but it is hardly in control. For tens of thousands of years, it has been the victim of countless wars; even now, at the peak of its expansion, a single event could cause the downfall of the entire human race.

At the end of the Dark Age of Technology, the great Emperor of Mankind created the twenty finest specimens of the species - the Primarchs. However, the forces of Chaos swept them away while they were still infants, depositing them on planets inhabited and feral throughout the galaxy. Somehow, each of the Primarchs survived, growing up and being influenced by their new homeworlds.

The Emperor soon reunited with all twenty of his lost sons, bringing with him the results of additional research: the Space Marines, genetically enhanced superhumans equipped with the latest and greatest in Imperial technology.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and the forces of Chaos still plotted the downfall of humanity; the seeds of discontent were present in several of the Primarchs, and when the Emperor declared the prosperity of mankind, fully half of the great Space Marine legions seperated from the Imperium - led by Horus, once the Emperor's most loved son.

The Imperium was decimated by the renegade legions; countless worlds fell, and it was only at the heart of humanity, holy Terra itself, that Horus was slain. The Emperor was also mortally wounded, however, and was placed inside the Golden Throne to safeguard humanity from home.

Ten thousand years have since passed, and the fate of humanity could still end up on either end of the galactic food chain. The Materium holds many alien species, most of which are hostile. There are the enigmatic Eldar, an ancient species who once prospered to the point of self-destruction. The Tau are an ambitious race; though new in the greater picture, they have already secured a great amount of territory as well as the services of the carniverous Kroot Mercenaries and winged Vespid races. And the mechaincal Necrons that serve the mighty deities, the C'tan.

Then there's the Orks - savage greenskins who know nothing if not how to make war. Rare is the place that hasn't been touched by these aliens, and it is said that if they were to stop fighting amongst themselves and group together, there would be no force that could stop their conquest.

And the forces of Chaos plot still their takeover of the galaxy. There are four greater gods of the immaterium that have been spawned by the evils of - Khorne, the god of violence and blood; Tzeench, the god of knowledge and change; Slaanesh, the god of excess and decadence; and Nurgle, the god of stagnation and decay. What's more, their servants still strike from the Eye of Terror - lesser spirits whispering in the ears of sinners, demons that no living being should ever experience, and even the former heroes of mankind.

It is something to behold, then, that a lowly race such as humanity has survived for so long. It is thanks to the loyalist Space Marines, the infinite ranks of the Imperial Guard, the watchful eyes of the Inquisition, and even the Emperor himself, safeguarding humanity from his Golden Throne on mighty Terra.

Phew...

The ArmiesThe Space Marines:These superhuman soldiers are arranged into "Chapters," groups of a thousand such men that act as individual armies in their own right. They are equipped with the best the Imperium has to offer and are expected to crush foes ten times their number.

The Imperial Guard:If the Imperium has any one true resource, it is manpower. Each planet that sees the Emperor's gaze has a legion to show for it, and it is these fine men and women that act as the Hammer of the Imperium.

The Inquisition:Protecting mankind from within and without are these secretive orders, making use of their Chamber Militant when called for. The Ordo Hereticus, the Witch Hunters, eliminate those who would use the Imperium's citizens against one another; they make use of the Sisters of Battle, female members of the Ecclesiarchy with a penchant for fire. The Ordo Malleus, the Demon Hunters, are in charge of those who are no longer human; they are often accompanied by the Grey Knights, a chapter of Space Marines entirely made up of psykers. And the Ordo Xenos, the Alien Hunters, are shadowy elements dedicated to the succession of mankind throughout the galaxy; it is the Deathwatch, an amalgam of Space Marines throughout many chapters, that assist them in their efforts.

The Chaos Space Marines:Once humanity's finest defenders, fully half of them split from the Imperium behind the Primarch, Horus. Now, they strike at all others from the Eye of Terror; and terrifying they are, as many are "gifted" with mutations and powers from the gods of Chaos.

The Demons of Chaos:Possibly even more terrifying than those who were once men are these monstrosities; they are capable of appearing out of nowhere and corrupting entire planets with unthinkable speed.

The Orks:These savage greenskins are unnervingly common throughout the galaxy. Though they utilize very rough versions of guns, it is ultimately their skill in close combat that ensures their dominion. Their tendency to wage war against each other is their one true controlling factor - no force would be able to stop them were they to band together into a galaxy-wide Waaagh!

The Necrons:Undying machines that serve their own dark gods, the C'tan. Their Gauss weaponry has been known to shake a tank apart from the inside.

The Tau:This young race is already making its mark in the name of the Greater Good. Already possessing technology rivaling that of the once-mighty Eldar, they have subjugated the winged Vespid and control the might of the lizardlike Kroot mercenaries.

The Eldar:Once rulers of the galaxy, these limber humanoids are now in more dire straits than humanity. Their vehicles are as deadly as they are beautiful. Those who do not have Craftworlds must resort to piracy for survival.

The Dark Eldar:Long ago one and the same, these evil-minded individuals separated from their more modest counterparts after participating in the dark rituals that created the Chaos god Slaanesh and sent the race as a whole spiraling downward.

The GameWarhammer 40,000 (or 40k) is a miniatures wargame. Each race has its own strengths, weaknesses, strategies and styles. The newest edition, 5th, was released very recently, so if you've ever wanted to get started now's the time!

Games Workshop offers a massive catalog of miniatures, paints and hobby supplies, plus their monthly publication, White Dwarf. There's also many other places where you can find information and order stuff (though the latter is somewhat restricted by GW's iron-fisted online orders policy).

Links

Games Workshop Website - The official site. You can order a lot of models direct, including a number of classic models that are hard to find elsewhere. There's also a good number of gaming and hobby articles.

The Warstore - A massive online store featuring everything you need for gaming. Rulebooks, dice, minis and carrying cases - they even have individual parts from sprues!

Bell of Lost Souls - A 40K-focused blog filled with trusted rumors, hobby articles, tactica and even their own sourcebooks! (They've got an entire thing for playing a Heresy-era campaign!)

The Warforge - The personal modeling website of Adam "Ein" Shefki, you can find all sorts of awesome (and Orky) conversions here. OBEY THE TURBOSQUIG.

You forgot two armies, the necrons & the dark eldar. ;) From what i have heard, dark eldar will get a new codex next year.

I for one have a mighty ork army. Their leader is the powerfull warboss Nachgal, known not only for his strenght, but also for his thoughtnes. How he was able to survive 4 direct lascanon hits is still not known (this was back in the old 'dex, where the warboss had T4).

I also own a small tau force, thought i have yet to give the leader a name.

Oh, I already ordered some faceplates off of Battlewagon Bits a while ago, along with a bunch of other hard gubbinz like marine shoulder pads and chaos vehicle plates. Dem's gonna be da 'ardest boyz around!

*EDIT: I've updated the OP with a link to the new starter set, Battle for Black Reach. It's seriously perfect for starting a new Space Marine and/or Ork army - or both!

Althought i will be on the receving end of the new space marine codex (I'm an ork player), I really look forward to it. They will get a lot of nifty new things, that will make them more interesting. I have been reading a bit about what the SM will get on other sites as well, and the most interesting change is the special rules that they will get. Either you can give your space marines fleet, or voulentery fallback (remember that this works well with "and they shal know no fear". While there are a lot of whiners out there, I have faih in GW, with only a handfull of exeptions, their codexes are generally speaking very well balanced.

As for the new models, my personal favorite is the tech marine (the cannon that comes with him is nice as well, but i'm a sucker for tech marines). My least favorite is the assault cannon on the landspeeder. It looks a bit too flimsy. And a grenade launcher on a bike? Interesting. Grenade launchers seem to be conciderd underpowerd at the moment, but it might change with the new codex.

Hey, people! The brand-new starter set, Assault for Black Reach, comes out today! Has anybody had the chance to check it out? I preordered mine from my "local" game store, but I can't pick it up until next weekend.